NiceGirlsTV Pays Tribute to Pemberley Digital/Exclusive Interview with Brent Bailey (Part 2)

Here is part two of our exclusive interview with actor Brent Bailey, who starred as Alex Knightley in the web series Emma Approved, which recently won an Emmy Award for Original Interactive Program.

Question: Can you talk about what the process was like to film all of the web episodes? Any funny behind the scenes stories you can share?

Brent: The filming process for EA was actually pretty intense. We would all meet up first to do a table read, then we would usually schedule one rehearsal day, and then one weekend of each month we would knock out 8 episodes (around 60-80 pages of dialogue). Memorizing that many lines isn’t something I had done before, but it was a really exciting challenge. Joanna Sotomura (Emma) had the bulk of the lines so I have no idea how she was able to pull it off, but she did amazing. We really did become family and it became somewhat of a family tradition to meet up a few times a month and make an awesome show. The real reward of it all was the interaction that came from the fans, and especially all of the different conventions (like VidCon, LeakyCon Comic Con, etc.) got to (attend).

Question: How much input did you (or the other actors) have in the storytelling for Emma Approved?

Brent: During the table read we could change things around to flow better with how we’d personally say them. We could make little tweaks here and there and also add beats / moments as we wanted. The whole team was really open to our own interpretations, but to some extent we had to stay truthful to the book.

Question: How have things changed for you since appearing in Emma Approved?

Brent: The biggest change for me was the amount of fans that came from the show. My TV/Commercial work stayed consistent although now more fans were recognizing when I was on their TV. Acting is just like any other profession, you just keep working your way up. EA taught me a lot of great lessons, and was definitely a building block to continue to the next level.

Question: Which do you get recognized from more: Emma Approved or your commercial work?

Brent: Kind of both. I had already done about 30 commercials before I was on EA, but no one really knew who I was. Once I had done EA people started to realize that I was in a lot of commercials and would tweet me. In LA I would say that more people recognize me for commercials.

Question: What project(s) are you currently working on?

Brent: I’m sure it’s not surprising, but a lot of commercials. Right now I have about 8 different spots either running or about to run. It’s pilot season here in LA so I’ve been going out for leads on new TV shows and have come VERY close on a few. My primary focus is now shifted to TV and that’s my goal for the future. I would LOVE to do a half hour multi-cam sitcom.

Question: Is there one project you would love to do whether it is a web series, on television or in film?

Brent: If I could get any role right now, I’d be in the next installments of The Fast and Furious. I absolutely love that franchise and I looked up to Paul Walker so much. I am SO excited for Fast 7 to come out on April 3rd! I love modifying cars and I used to race cars and motorcycles at the tracks in AZ and a few times in CA. I even did background work on Tokyo Drift (i’m in the scene at the school on a segway near the beginning of the movie.) I would be thrilled to see that come around full circle and for that to be my first big role in a studio film. Maybe we start campaigning for me to be in that movie on social media?? 🙂

As for TV, there are a lot of shows I’d LOVE to be on right now. Nashville, New Girl, Modern Family, The Flash, S.H.I.E.L.D, etc. But if I go to choose a series regular job, I’d pick a new multi-cam sitcom. ABC Family has been showing me love lately, so I would be very happy if I can find a home there.

Question: Can you share one thing about yourself that most people don’t know about you? A hidden talent? One of your favorite things?

Brent: I guess the boring thing about me is I’m very open and honest, so I don’t have a lot of hidden things. My passions are surfing, photography, computers and acting. I think a surprising thing about me is that I was an extremely picky eater, so I didn’t discover I liked mashed potatoes, snap peas, green beans, onions and a lot of other things until a few years ago. There are still some different items to this day that people are shocked I’ve never eaten.

Question: Where can fans find you?

Brent: If you want to keep up with what I am doing you can follow me @BrentMBailey.

To learn more about Brent and his acting career, you can visit his IMDB page here. He is also the owner and founder of Artist Footprint.